


Freedom, and Everything Between

by Galpaladin



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Porn With Plot, Rope Bondage, Smut, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:15:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23048383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galpaladin/pseuds/Galpaladin
Summary: **WARNING FIRE EMBLEM THREE HOUSES SPOILERS**"You've always been important to me," he continued, "You were one of the first people in both Fodlan and Almyra to not care where I was born. Not care about my heritage, my parents, or even my Crest. Through you, I was able to envision the future I wanted so badly."Everything around them was still and quiet, save for a cool breeze. Autumn was slowly blowing in."Byleth." Claude pulled her closer sensing a faint shiver, "Come back with me. Please. The coronation will take place next month and I really want you there. It would feel.. wrong without you there."
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth & Claude von Riegan, My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 83





	Freedom, and Everything Between

"Wyvern rider, approaching from the east." 

Byleth scowled, eyes skyward. She was returning to Garreg Mach with a small platoon of knights, still weary from their goodwill mission. Now that Fodlan knew peace, these missions were crucial for rebuilding both homes and diplomatic ties. But.. they didn't always come conflict free. 

"Archers, ready," she cautioned, squinting at the faint silhouette on horizon. Something was off. Who would be so foolish as to face them off directly? And by themselves?

"Strange. I haven't heard of any issues to the East.." Seteth's voice belied an incredulous tone, "Almyra has been quiet and Fodlan's Throat is secure." 

"Almyra.."

Byleth couldn't hide her simultaneous frustration and relief as she sheathed her sword, ordering, "Archers at ease. Ally."

Ignoring the confused murmuring around her, Byleth strode past her company and into the open field before them. There was no mistaking it.

"Three weeks. It's been three weeks."

Against the midday sun, the white of his wyvern's wings shone brilliantly, iridescent. Claude, returned to her. A faint thought mused that it was almost romantic if not for the sweat and exhaustion worn into her bones. 

He descended quickly, almost recklessly. Showing out as usual. His wyvern had not yet made contact with the ground when he leapt off, nearly crashing into her. Face alight with a grin, he wrapped her into his arms and they both laughed together of relief, joy, and reunion. 

“You were supposed to-”

“I know! I’m sorry, I couldn’t wait.”

Now that he was beside her, Byleth took in his appearance. He bore new clothes, fine silk in vibrant hues of yellow, which contrasted with his somewhat haggard appearance. There was exhaustion under his eyes. Bruises marked his body. And yet at first glance, all unnoticeable against his jubilant demeanor. 

The worry set in. Separating herself at arm’s length, Byleth instinctively scanned behind him.

“Don’t worry. There’s no one chasing me,” he reached gently to her face, pulling her attention back, “At least, if there were, I outran them long ago.”

The smile he shot her with his joke earned an eyeroll and hefty sigh. 

“Claude. What happened?” Byleth asked curtly.

“Nothing bad, first off,” he started, reading her tone quickly, “It’s a long story. How about I tell you on the ride home?”

Stealing a look at her company behind her, Byleth could already see Seteth approaching them both, a scowl upon his face. There was no way he’d allow that. Now that she was leader of the church, his guidance has been both a blessing- and a curse. It was very helpful for a devout follower of Sothis’s religion to fill in the blanks when her inexperience strayed their path. All of the rites, the prayers, the blessings, he recalled them with expert accuracy. Invaluable for someone that couldn’t tell a tenet from a teapot just one year prior. Still, he could be a bit strict and overbearing. She needed a break.

“Seteth. I’ll meet you there.”

As he opened his mouth to respond, a mild indignation furrowed into his brow, Byleth felt hands upon her waist as Claude swooped her onto his wyvern. They took off before anyone could think to tell them no.

"Where to?" As she leaned into him, Claude's voice was heavy in her ear, "Garreg Mach? Derdriu? Back to Almyra with me?"

"Almyra? Are you that eager for me to meet your parents? Ugh, Seteth would be beside himself." 

His entire body shook with laughter as he set them into coasting the sky, let go of the reigns, and embraced her, leaning his head down to kiss at her exposed nape. 

"Then maybe I should kidnap you!"

That thought tickled her especially.

"Claude, you know as well as I do that the only way you could kidnap me is if I went willingly."

There was amusement in his voice as he slid his hands down to her waist, "You're right. Maybe you should kidnap me." 

There was something wistful in his words. Arching at his touch, Byleth reached back for him, hands running through his hair. They would be separate again soon, both knew all too well. Now that he was returned to her, she planned to use their time wisely.

Returned to her. How many nights had she curled around pillows in place of where he once was? Some nights, she could close her eyes in the dark and almost feel hot breath between her, calloused hands caress. By her hand, a thousand men have fallen and yet only his touch left her so weak and longing. 

"I missed you," she sighed, dotting his face with small, sentimental kisses as Claude closed his eyes to receive them.

"What! But I wrote every day."

He did. It was only a few days after he left that the first letter arrived by express messenger, sparkling with a golden foil bow rider on the front. An Almyra seal. The first time she received one, she tore into the envelope quickly, fearing war again was lapping at the banks. 

But no, it was Claude announcing his safe arrival at his father's palace. 

"You did, but I still missed you."

There was a mischievous glint in his eye as he replied, "Oh, so you didn't miss hearing from me. What part of me did you miss exact- oof."

She caught him with her elbow and turned away, stifling her laughter. He had gotten bold these days. 

"How was your family?"

Every time he returned, she would ask. In a way, hearing about his chaotic family tree filled the void that was left of her own.

"Well enough. My younger cousin married. Before me, he was sure to rub in. Of course, I definitely reminded him while he was wooing women, I was winning a war."

There was a pause as Byleth's hand lingered on a prominent bruise on his arm with a frown.

"Have I told you about Almyran greeting customs?" 

She shook a negative suspiciously.

"Whenever a warrior is absent from Almyra, their return is a great celebration seeing as a lot.. don't make it back. Also as important is to test their skills upon return to see how they had progressed- and to ensure they did not go soft in their absence." 

"A test?" Byleth's curiosity was piqued. She had a feeling this was where the bruises came into play.

"Yes, typically it's a friendly sparring match against a volunteer."

"Ahh, like Nader!"

"Exactly!"

She had heard of their explosive reunion through the other knights that had been there. A moment of fear at the approaching Almyran army, uncertainty as Claude rushed forward, signaling for the others to stay back as he faced the leader alone.

Then, jubilation. As quickly as they had arrived, the Almyran army joined their ranks in vanquishing the imperial army.

"My opponent this time around was actually my father. Which sounds bad but I consider myself lucky."

"Oh?"

He shifted, relaxing backwards into his seat. 

"Yeah. If it were mom I would have gotten my ass kicked. Even still, pops is no pushover. I beat him for the first time but only barely. Thus, the bruises." 

"I think I'll like your mom," Byleth laughed, her eyes drawn towards the dimming horizon. What little she could make out of the landscape was familiar. They were nearing home.

"Ugh," Byleth stretched into a yawn, "I cannot wait to get this armor off."

"Good thing I'll be around to help with that, huh?"

Another elbow jab lead into riotous laughter as they leaned into each other once more, savoring the closeness between them before landing in the rooftop garden. Once meticulously kept, Byleth had let the foliage grow wild and free, instead of encapsulating them for her own pleasure. 

The ivies were beginning to cascade down the tower like a waterfall. It filled her with a strange sense of pride that after years of being meticulously kept, they were finally allowed to grow freely- and vivaciously. Finally free.

That said, she had barely time to admire the foliage. They weren't even off the wyvern when Claude began to shower her in kisses, paying extra attention to her exposed nape again. Her nape was still relatively untouched by the scars of war- and very sensitive. She almost failed to notice a sly hand beneath her armor, ambling dangerously close to her chest. As the blood rushed to her face, Byleth unmounted and scolded him, "Claude, come on, there could be someone up here." 

"Ah. Right," he peered curiously around, "You should let them know that you have official business with a foreign diplomat."

Seeing that at least the garden itself was abandoned, Claude patted his wyvern farewell and closed the distance between himself and Byleth. Pressing his body to hers, his hands ambled along her shoulders and toyed with the top clasp of her armor. 

"Do you have a moment, leader of Fodlan? We have much to discuss." His voice was barely above a whisper in her ear.

"For a prince? Ha. Maybe."

"What about for a King?"

He surprised her. Even when she thought she could predict exactly what he wanted, he changes direction again.

"A king?" Byleth pulled herself just out of reach to face him, "Claude.. what scheme is this?"

His expression turned pained, "Oof. Not a scheme. Come, sit down." 

It was now dusk. The stars gleamed overhead, eager to bear witness to their secrets. In times of great pressure or loss, Byleth often found Claude wandering late at night with his eyes skyward. 

"It clears my head," he told her once, "Reminds me that all triumphs and losses are small in the grand scheme of things. If we lose this war tomorrow, the stars will shine overhead like any night. If we win, it'll be just the same."

"What's the point then?" She remembered asking, worried that his carefree nature belied a nihilistic streak.

"That is the point! It means that we are not in control of the stars, the stars are not in control of us. We forge our own paths- not some goddess or saint." 

At the time, his words burned inside her, smouldering when the odds seemed firmly stacked against them. No one person was in control of the situation. It was anyone's game. 

And yet there were times Byleth wondered if the shining glimmer who controlled fate itself was the man before her. A sparkle and a confident smile. A white streak across the sky. 

"What about your father? I'm sure your uncles did not take this lying down," there was worry in her voice, "Didn't you tell me your cousins have tried to kill you multiple times?"

"Ahh, let me explain," he responded sheepishly.

"I.. was not well received as a child. My father, the eldest son, was respected and feared but his timid Fodlan son was always the one chink in his armor. I learned to fight early and I learned to trick myself into advantage even earlier." 

He spoke of his upbringing to her, candid these days. Of how he and his mother moved outside the palace to find peace. Of hunting weekends with his father and private tutelage with Nader. His mother, sharp and shrewd, cared not for riches and preferred to live humbly and alone. Extravagance reminded her of the home she left behind.

He tried finding friendship within the local villages, ate dirt and limped home more times than he could count, and beside the stoic silence of his mother, plotted again and again and again for an in. 

"My father loved me. He said I was every bit as strong as my mother, but I hadn't actualized it yet. He told me to win the respect of our people, my journey would be harder than anyone's before." 

"The night before I left for Fodlan, he took me to the highest point in the kingdom. A cliff unimaginable, hanging over the jagged jaws of a rocky valley. He told me that at a particularly vulnerable point of his life, when tensions with Fodlan were high, he wondered if it would have been easiest to throw me from there. Solidify himself as the merciless king Almyra longed for and spare me the uncertainty and trials to come."

"Goddess," Byleth muttered. 

"There's.. an ancient tradition in some parts of destroying an unfit heir. It's viewed as a duty to your country, to your people. Thankfully for me, that represented the worst of our culture to him. At the edge of that cliff, he told me that Almyran pursuits of strength above all else are exactly what kept our people poor and isolated. He entrusted me with the duty of opening Fodlan to Almyra and vice versa. But.." 

He turned away from her, looking upward again, "We both agreed that it would be difficult to see that happen unless I was able to earn the trust of both of our people." 

Ah, so there is it. Everything fell into alignment. Claude successfully usurped the reigning empire and united Fodlan under a single banner, winning his people's admiration as well as securing his diplomatic importance within Fodlan.

"That's why you didn't leave at the first sign of trouble, even when you could."

"Right," he placed a gentle hand upon her own, "And not just that. I wanted to ensure that my friends and allies had the best possible chance of surviving. I also had faith that one day you'd come back and together we could go from barely surviving to turning the tides."

"You've always been important to me," he continued, "You were one of the first people in both Fodlan and Almyra to not care where I was born. Not care about my heritage, my parents, or even my Crest. Through you, I was able to envision the future I wanted so badly."

Everything around them was still and quiet, save for a cool breeze. Autumn was slowly blowing in.

"Byleth." Claude pulled her closer sensing a faint shiver, "Come back with me. Please. The coronation will take place next month and I really want you there. It would feel.. wrong without you there."

Such a humble request. Byleth laid lips to his quivering mouth, answering without so much a word. 

Moments such as these were precious. Times where they were free of the anxiety and uncertainty of their newfound leadership- and together. Free at last to speak of their future, a victory hard fought and sacrificed greatly for. At times, it was nearly unbelievable. Claude smiled into their kiss. 

"Hey.." his voice was gruff as he spoke, lips nearly touching hers, "I'm exhausted. Can I stay over?"

Hearing his tone, she burned for him. Ached.

"Let me.." pausing, Byleth caught her surroundings once more, "Yes, but let me dismiss the guard."

Despite the hands pulling at her hips, she tore herself away and quickly dismissed the guard, locking every door between her and the monastery below that she could find. Cheeks red, she returned to her chambers only to find that Claude had broken into her stash of wine. 

"I've never been much for reds, but this has a nice taste," he was grinning, perched on the edge of her bed. He seemed more than pleased to have been caught.

"Ugh, that's the church's…" 

Suddenly she recalled when Claude and Hilda pilfered the monastery's ration of holy wine, sharing it with both houses and Byleth herself. The reckoning Seteth brought upon them made it almost not worth it.

But, watching Caspar and Felix brawl in the courtyard definitely made up for it. A memory now bittersweet.

"What!" Leaning back into pillows, Claude lifted the bottle aloft and proclaimed, "The lack of hospitality for a foreign dignitary. Why, my king will hear of this."

"Can it, Lorenz. And get a glass!" Byleth spared a laugh as she shrugged her armor off, finally free of the weight of war. She poured herself a glass of wine, letting the taste ease her back into relaxation and before she knew it, their bodies were intertwined, mouths tasting the wine on each other's lips. 

Three weeks of built up longing, frustration welled between them. As they pulled at each other's clothes to touch skin to skin, Byleth found herself trembling with anticipation. She could not express how badly she wanted him, she needed him and even as she had him, she needed more. 

Claude often was overwhelmed by his longtime lust and longing to fruition. He savoured the taste, laying kisses, tongue on lips, on neck, on breast, and yet lower. His mind reeled every time he heard a voice so familiar moan in ecstasy, demand more of him. He gave and he gave, eager to pull that voice into a fever pitch. Containing himself, it turns out, proved to be the most difficult part. 

There was an unimaginable thrill whenever he found himself pinned beneath her, her hands around his wrists. No one had ever been able to quite pin him down his whole life. Trickery always found his way out. Beneath her he mused that he didn't mind it so much. 

Claude. Claude with all his tricks and schemes, reduced to desperate hands upon her, grinding hips eager to meet. 

Her body alight upon him, she pressed and pressed and pressed until his hands grabbed upon her, hips pushing into her own in release. He jerked, gasping, and silenced himself mouth on breast. 

"Byleth, I.." There was panic in his voice.

"I know," she murmured, laying herself across him, "I know and it's ok."

They shared an incredulous laugh despite their exhaustion and intertwined, holding silly, half-awake conversations. There was something innately natural in sharing a conversation, sharing a bed, and sharing a life together. Claude was more genuine these days. Byleth more expressive. 

At one point, he lifted her hand in his own to admire the ring still on her finger. 

"You know.. I think you'll make a great queen."

"Queen? On top of Archbishop?"

The scoff she made went unanswered as it dawned on her that he was serious. 

"I'm not really fit for royalty," her words were slow and cautious, "Are you sure getting married is what you still want?"

They held one another as the gravity of the situation settled. 

Swallowing his fear, Claude steeled himself and stared straight back into green eyes. This… actually wasn't what he planned for. It was supposed to be a happy surprise. He had planned to ask her the night of his coronation. Under the stars.. as equals.

"Neither am I," he told her, punctuating with a light kiss to her cheek, "But if any union could bring together our two countries, it's ours."

His response gave her pause. An anxious thought wondered if this was all simply a means to an end. Another plot to achieve someone else's dream.. Her stomach soured. 

"My love is not a diplomatic fortitude."

She pulled from their embrace, pointedly pushing off and away. How many times would other people subject her to their whims as if she had no will of her own? Her nakedness in the moment embarrassed her.

"That wasn't what I was saying."

She cursed her shaking voice, "I am not anyone's tool. Not yours. Not Rhea's. Not.." 

Her words choked in her throat. 

"You're not," Claude murmured in her pause, "Byleth, I'm sorry. I ask this because I thought this was a dream you shared with me."

"And because I can't imagine a future without you at my side."

With a hard swallow, she faced him again and read the worry in his expression.

"My greatest dream is a world where you and I aren't royalty. In fact, I don't want royalty to exist. In a perfect world, nobles and commoners are able to explore their desires freely and without the social barriers they have now. I want to make that world."

He reached for her with a single hand, "I want the people to govern themselves, but I know you can't change things from the bottom. Now we've actually got a chance."

Byleth took it hesitantly.

"When you left, I was terrified," hand in hand, she considered him thoughtfully, "I trust you, still, but a life spent acting a preordained path is not what I wanted." 

He used the new leverage between them to pull her closer, "I've got an idea."

"When we finally are able to step down from these roles, you and I will run away together. We'll travel the world where no one knows us. We can finally carve out a place for ourselves that we dreamed up completely."

There was profound hope in what he said. 

Sleep eventually took them, though they held each other close until well after daybreak. Bleary, Byleth worried that enough time would send someone to check on them. Imagine. The king of Almyra and the leader of Fodlan intertwined with one another. 

The thought shook her awake into urgency.

"Claude.."

He was sound asleep but roused upon hearing his name.

Cracking open an eye, he met her, spawled, with a sleepy, all too satisfied smirk, "Your archbishop. You've caught me in quite the compromising position."

Byleth threw the covers over him with a laugh and a pillow on top for good measure. 

"You know," she mused, "No one has ever quite made me laugh like you."

"When we first met, I didn't think you laughed at all."

Claude had freed himself and retaliated with a pillow, missing altogether. They both watched as it sailed across the room, flattening itself with a defeated thump against the wall. 

"I think I'd do just about anything to make you laugh. The first time I saw it, I knew I had it bad." 

The thought amused her. She had long knew of his school boy crush, even when he was her pupil. Hilda tormented him relentlessly for it and made a point to embarrass him in front of her nearly every chance she got. He always denied it a little too hastily.

"You had it bad before then. Come on, get dressed. We have much to attend to."

"What!" He started with indignity in his tone but quickly realized she was serious, "Wait, hey, can't we stay in bed a little longer? I hardly slept!"

He leapt out of bed and caught her before she could put back on her clothes. Wresting for a moment, Byleth finally relented and allowed him to carry her back to bed.

"You're not going to sleep," she chided him as he climbed atop, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"No," he told her, "Not yet." 

His body was upon hers again. Byleth heard the exhaustion in his voice but his movement told a different story, one eager to start again. 

A sly thought crossed her as she reached past him, tearing the curtain tie-back from the wall and flooding the room with light. He was occupied with her. 

"Hey!" She savoured his protest as she wrestled him for top position, securing her win by tying his arms back. There was something pleasurable, about him prone beneath her.

"Is this so I won't run away?" He shot her a roguish grin and struggled against the ropes that held him back. 

"For now," she assured him, lowering herself as closely as she dared. Joined together as deeply as she could manage, she reached ecstasy, body tensing in waves. The feeling spent her. 

Exhausted, she took rest again, her mind turning over the events that transpired.

She trusted that he meant what he said. But imagining how long it would take..

Byleth stole a look while he was sleeping peacefully. He was beautiful. Wild hair, green eyes, and a sharp mind. Soon these things will give way to time's passage, a reminder that their time together was limited. It will encompass a small portion of her extremely long lifespan. 

But.. to be free with him is a future worth having, a future worth waiting for, even if it was short. She knew she would never love another quite like this.

Careful as not to wake him, she rose and quickly dressed for a full day of ritual and preparation. The coronation would be upon them soon- and there was much to attend to.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for the read! It was really fun getting into why I feel Claude is such a great character that I relate to heavily. Honestly, one of the most fun writes I've done so far!
> 
> I am open to feedback and requests. Heavily considering a Yuri/Byleth or Yuri/Claude or maybe even a Yuri/Byleth/Claude next ;)


End file.
